{"id":19260,"date":"2019-02-12T12:00:13","date_gmt":"2019-02-12T12:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/?p=19260"},"modified":"2021-01-19T13:38:39","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T13:38:39","slug":"snow-and-consequences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/snow-and-consequences\/","title":{"rendered":"Snow and Consequences"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Thinking about getting started on graded winter routes? David Lintern has a few suggestions. All we need now is the snow\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time I\u2019m writing about winter mountain journeys that straddle the line between big hillwalking days out and mountaineering. What do I mean? Somewhere in between walking and climbing, with snow and consequences, on big, burly hills and preferably a bit off the beaten track. The kind of winter outings I like best include use of hands and feet, but aren\u2019t necessarily what climbers would consider serious ground. Most things here are classed as a summer scramble at grade one or thereabouts, but in winter they are reclassified as graded mountaineering routes – a step beyond what is usually featured on Walkhighlands. It\u2019s worth taking that reclassification seriously. Any one of these has greater risk attached than a bimble up something round on a stalker\u2019s path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Big mountain vibes on the east ridge of Ben Lui<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then again, there\u2019s an old adage that all winter hill walking is mountaineering, and that point is well made for safety\u2019s sake, especially to those who haven\u2019t developed the necessary acquired taste for Scottish conditions: Rainy 4am motorway starts, bad coffee and breakfast rolls, slush and mud on the walk in, black ice under foot and a hood full of graupel, chafed lips, frozen snot and a windchill cold enough to chill tea while it\u2019s still in your flask. That\u2019s if you\u2019re lucky. Ah, the fresh air and romance of it all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we get started\u2026 don\u2019t do what I did; go straight for the famous ones and scare yourself witless. You can come back to Beinn Alligin<\/a>, Ledge Route, Curved Ridge or Liathach<\/a> later, when you\u2019ve got used to occasionally having your heart in your mouth, and you\u2019ve done at least some of them in summer! To attempt any of the suggested routes below, please be confident in your winter skills: Take a course or two, know how to navigate a whiteout, be comfortable in your crampons, have used your axe for long enough that it needs a sharpen at the start of the season and have, at the very least, 2 or 3 dozen regular Scottish winter hill walking trips to draw on. Starting out, it\u2019s wise to have done plenty of summer scrambling \u2013 at least a grade harder than your winter choices – and to go with someone who has more experience that you – be it a professional guide or a friend. All the usual caveats about warm clothes, lots of food and fluid, spare torch batteries and several pairs of gloves apply, and I\u2019m obliged to remind you that avalanches are on the rise here in the UK. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Beinn Alligin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s\na new campaign called \u2018Think Winter\u2019 which encourages you to plan\nahead, factoring your hill companion\u2019s fitness, kit and skills, the\nweather and snow conditions, timing and navigation and have\nalternative ideas for the day in hand, for those times when you need\nto change your original plans. We\u2019ve already lost a few souls in\nthe hills this winter, so as they probably say in Alien 3\u2026 stay\nfrosty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where\nto start? If I was beginning again now, I would definitely plump for\nsomething like Fiacaill Ridge<\/strong>,\na grade 1 to 2 in the Cairngorms. The walk in is short from the Coire\nCas car park, it\u2019s a popular route, it\u2019s over quickly and if you\ndon\u2019t fancy the crux, a blocky thrutch about half way up, it\u2019s\nsimple enough to stay to the right of the rocks and walk steeply up\nto the plateau. Either way, it\u2019s in impressive surroundings and\nthere\u2019s plenty of big mountain feel, which can be intimidating the\nfirst time (but that may quickly become addictive!) \n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Long Leachas \u2013 the rocky slope in the foreground, running from centre left to right of frame<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Long Leachas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I began my own amateur mountaineering on Ben Alder<\/a>, and a grade 1 ridge called the Long Leachas, which extends NE of the hill. In my view it\u2019s less technical than Fiacaill but is much longer and more remote (a bike into Pattack from Dalwhinnie is useful). Lower down it’s broad, and steep enough to dagger with the axe on all fours, later on it narrows and levels off, becoming more of a rocky arete. Expect some body sized boulders to slither up and around, allowing you to practice palming off and finding axe placements. It may be quite long but you can relax inbetween the tricky sections, so it\u2019s not sustained or pressure-filled as long as the weather is kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However,\nit\u2019s how these routes feel subjectively to you, not me, that\u2019s a\nkey part of how you will cope as a newbie. For me, the route\u2019s\nremoteness more than made up for its lack of technicality, and that\natmosphere – being engaged with snow and rock on a different side of\nthe mountain – is something I still prioritise over harder things.\nTopping out also meant I enjoyed a full traverse of the plateau\nbefore reaching the actual summit, which\nyou don\u2019t get to do by the more usual route. It engendered\nconfidence as well as reflections on risk and reward. As long as I\nkeep my feet on the ground, maybe even late-starter urban wastrels\nlike me can try this mountaineering lark?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lancet edge \u2013 narrow and exposed, a lot depends on snow conditions and weather.\ufeff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lancet Edge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Long Leachas is not to be confused with the short one, a slightly harder route to the east that I\u2019ve yet to try myself. And don\u2019t confuse it with Lancet Edge either, which is across the glen to the west and a more serious proposition. On the map this is Sg\u00f2r Iutharn, a NE spur attached at arm\u2019s length to Geal Ch\u00e0rn<\/a>. Most seem to class this as a grade 1, and while it\u2019s not very techy at all, it is very narrow and exposed with long run-outs on massive snowbanks – so the consequences are real. The risk of avalanches is objectively lower on ridges than on slopes, but this one might well be the exception, so check with SAIS before you go\u2026 and check again. Any windslab on the day and I’d avoid like the plague. There\u2019s a crux section about \u00be of the way up, where a low rib of rock bars your way, which I shimmied along using a technique those proper alpinists called \u2018a cheval\u2019 (literally, \u2018on horseback\u2019). You top out onto a huge, snowy expanse, so have your navigation skills honed should you get white out conditions, as I did. Psychologically, this is a step up from the broken, mixed ground of the Long Leachas, and more sustained in that the experience of exposure is greater, for longer.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hiding from filthy early season weather, just off the ridge of Sr\u00f2n na Creise\ufeff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sr\u00f2n na Creise <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

is also well worth your time. Just off the A82, but you\u2019ll need a good couple of hours for the walk in if you are leaving the car at the Glencoe ski area. Grade one, and of medium length, there are plenty of ways to sidestep the more serious bits \u2013 stay on top of the boulders for maximum effect, dodge to the right to scramble up steep, turfy and broken ground to a broad ledge, should the weather or exposure get too much. It\u2019s a great route to get you thinking about route finding and problem solving. For the final section we dodged a bulge of rock that stopped us in our tracks and ducked around to the left to find a shallow gully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beware – you are still a long way from the top of Creise<\/a> itself, and if you are planning on a circuit back to the car, there\u2019s a bouldery bealach to cross before you get to the ski area on Meall a Bh\u00f9irudh<\/a>. It\u2019s still a fairly hefty day in winter conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\nmade a lot of mistakes on this one \u2013 leaving Glasgow too late and\nnot having the right gear, so we\u2019ve taken to wearing harness and\nhelmets, and carrying a 30m rope and a few slings and nuts. For some\nthis might seem like overkill, but I for one feel safer knowing I can\nchuck a sling around something and attach myself to the hill, should\nI meet an obstacle or get tired. When you do these routes in a team\nthere\u2019s also the safety and comfort of your friends to think about,\nso even a quick friction belay can make all the difference between\nraised eyebrows or brown trousers. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nare some great summer scrambling and\nwinter mountaineering courses run by some of the\nmostly highly trained professionals in the world, right here in\nScotland \u2013 just sayin\u2019.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Streap\u2019s two summits. The highest is left of centre, and the crux presents as the rocky bulge half way up in this photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Streap<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Taking a step back and thinking about the \u2018why bother\u2019 of all this for a second, Streap<\/a> – which translates from the Gealic as \u2018climbing\u2019 – is a fantastic winter mountaineering journey. It\u2019s a muscular zig zag of a Corbett, a few KM north of Glenfinnan. I\u2019m not sure it qualifies as a graded route per se, but there\u2019s a short and very thought-provoking foot width arete just before the final pull up to the summit, on which there\u2019s a small bulge about 2\/3\u2019s of the way up. In summer I\u2019m told this can be bypassed to the left, but in winter it\u2019ll probably be banked out. It certainly was for me. If you are over 6 ft you should be fine, us shorties will need to a\u2019 cheval again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After\nthat, you have to get down from the summit\u2026 which in peak season\nwill probably mean turning into the slope and front pointing a short\ndistance. I\u2019ll use that as an excuse to badger you to practise\nfront point descending on steep, blank slopes, ahead of trying some\nof these routes. It can be incredibly tiring for the uninitiated (or\nif you\u2019re still suffering from the Christmas excess!) \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So,\nthere\u2019s only two small sections on this route that are at all\ntechnical, but\u2026 we are far from the madding crowds, climbing a\nmountain called \u2018climbing\u2019, completely engaged with our\nsurroundings. Low in technicality, but high in psyche; to my mind, it\ndoesn\u2019t get much more atmospheric than Streap.\nThere\u2019s even a bothy en route if you like your creature comforts.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Mamores as an island, and the edge of a fogbow. Somewhere on the Schoolhouse ridge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The School House Ridge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

School House Ridge and its associated Munros, high above Ballachulish, is one of the best days out I\u2019ve had in winter conditions. Admittedly, the all-day inversion helped. Another grade one north-easterly finger reaches out to the school which gives the ridge its name, from a minor top called Sgorr Bhan (note – it\u2019s not Beinn Bhan, which is a sometimes sometimes bouldery but not unpleasant walker\u2019s route). Expect to pick your way up a narrowing ridgeline to reach a series of rocky steps. There is some run out and exposure here, so it\u2019s useful to have helmets, harness and perhaps even that short rope to hand. There\u2019s a slightly circuitous bail to the left and up a gully if you can\u2019t manage the steps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At\nthis point, it\u2019s worth saying that snow conditions will have as\nmuch of a part to play in success as your own confidence and ability.\nThe first time we tried this, we backed off as windslab formed by the\nsecond under our feet, and the second time we used that gully instead\nof climbing over the steps – the snow was so soft we couldn\u2019t get\nany purchase with our axes. The \u201cwrong kind of snow\u201d. I know –\nridiculous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the top of the Sgorr, there\u2019s still a healthy dose of ridge ahead if you want to include the two Munro\u2019s of Sgorr Dhearg and Sgorr Dhonuill<\/a>, the last of which may also provide some milder scrambly fun if it\u2019s not too plastered or banked out. Getting off the plateau west of the summit and back into the forestry is steep, and a long walk out awaits \u2013 leave yourself plenty of time and pack an extra pie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The\nEast Ridge of Ben Lui<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The usual route up Ben Lui<\/a> tends to go up the back from Glen Lochy and the A85, but to see the mountain as it should be seen \u2013 as the throne of a mountain king (or queen) – take a bike in from Dalrigh to Cononish along a track for an exciting traverse up one arm of the throne and down the other. Get into the bottom of the coire, scrabble or wade up to the flat \u2018handrest\u2019, and make your way up the east ridge. The situation is spectacular. There\u2019s a steep section of turf about 1\/3 of the way up which is reckoned as the crux, but I had a more \u2018interesting\u2019 time further up, navigating the various mini-gullies and traversing out to the left around mini-bus sized boulders with my ridiculously sized pack on. It\u2019s a big hill and can feel pretty extended in the top 1\/3, but there are avenues of escape \u2013 just stay clear of stomach turning run outs into the coire on your right. It\u2019s such a fabulous mountain it\u2019s no wonder 30\u2019s Clydesiders used it as practise for bigger missions in the Alps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The\neast ridge of Beinn a\u2019 Chaorrain<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My last suggestion is a favourite of a few guides, and yet another easterly facing, grade one ridge, on the quiet side of Beinn a\u2019 Chaorrain<\/a>\u2026 the Munro to the west of Creag Meagaidh<\/a>. The hills in the middle of the country tend to achieve winter condition early on and stay cold, so turf is frozen sooner and the hills hold snow for longer. A relatively long walk in on the forestry track that handrails the Allt na h-Uamha lends a remote atmosphere to this little gem. Follow the Allt ban into the coire and aim for the right-hand spur. Gently weave up through crags, before the ground steepens and then narrows. There\u2019s an icy runnel just after the middle, then a sidestep to the right which is exposed but is over quickly. The final 1\/3 is more straightforward and you top out at the summit itself, with superb views over the Fersit Munros. Beware the huge cornices to the north and south – this is a known accident black spot. Give the coire edge a wide berth before descending the much broader south ridge, to follow another burn back to the track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIf you are starting out, please be safe\u2026 check\nyour forecasts, go with others you trust, have a firm foundation in\nwinter navigation, the use of axe and crampons and<\/em>\nthe essential Scottish winter experience to back up the theory, and\nperhaps leave the big, bad famous routes for another season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thinking about getting started on graded winter routes? David Lintern has a few suggestions. All we need now is the snow… <\/p>\n

Read more ›<\/div>\n

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